REPORTING FOR DUTY
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Jun
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Another Cop Failure – 72 Year Old Woman Tasered During Routine Traffic Stop
June 9, 2009 | 46 Comments
Hot on the heals heels of our recent post about Ohio cops practically sexually assaulting a woman in a prison cell after she called 911 for help, here is another vile example of police stupidity and failure.
In the video below, a cop Tasers a 72 year old woman because he was too stupid to figure out another way to deal with her combative behavior.
And before a bunch of former and current cops jump in to defend the officer on the grounds that he was following procedure, we would kindly ask if they believe there is anything wrong with procedures that lead to this outcome.
We have a tremendous amount of respect for law enforcement and the difficult work they are tasked with, but we can hardly believe that the police have no better method of dealing with a belligerent senior citizen in a routine traffic stop then to Taser her.
Letting it come to this is the result of the cop’s failure, regardless of the old lady’s nonsense.
Comments
46 Comments so far
Must be something about 72. Another 72 yr old was tasered in Austin, TX.
http://quipster.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/72-year-old-grandmother-tasered-and-jailed-for-speeding/
has the video and the story link
What is it about tasers?
Ooops…I was trying to post the part of the above comment in someone else’s blog. Sorry.
Truly, this could have been handled better.
He should have at least tried to be respectful to her before deciding to get into a verbal pissing match that she was clearly not going to back down from.
[via Hot Air]….. and to the idiot from there who posted this blog comment, “In the video below, a cop Tasers a 72 year old woman because he was too stupid to figure out another way to deal with her combative behavior.
And before a bunch of former and current cops jump in to defend the officer on the grounds that he was following procedure, we would kindly ask if they believe there is anything wrong with procedures that lead to this outcome.”
Go to the link below, Watch it, if you can, you spineless POS!! Then you will at least have a clue as to why you are so completely retarded.
http://www.filecabi.net/video/officervsguy.html
When you have some BALLS and can do the job STEP UP! Then you can question why it lead to that outcome.
Granny was all spit an vineger until she learned that the dash cam don’t lie and look she wouldn’t even come to her own door for her “appointment” with the news station,
enough said!!
For now Hot Air, do us all a favor and wash your mouth out with some buckshot you hater’s!!
I need to make a correction,
I told “Hot Air” to do that, when I in fact meant to tell blogger Allahpundit- from his post via Hot Air to wash his mouth out with buckshot. I apologise to the blog site Hot Air for they are only the medium for which the idiot used.
Brian- You miss the point. The fact that this cop couldn’t figure out a better way to deal with this pissy grandmother is the cop’s failure. That doesn’t mean the grandmother is innocent, but tasering her is clearly a failure on the cop’s part.
It is sad that cops feel it is okay to taser old women who do not obey their every command. That is weak weak weak.
You should take a look in the mirror and wonder how you came to the point where you defend tasering a 72 year old unarmed woman.
I would venture to guess if that was your mom or grandmother, you would search your mind for a better way to deal with it.
To Admin poster, did you watch the video link I posted?
That may in fact help you to understand why “granny” got tased. I missed the point… No you did, Would it have been a better outcome if the officer had used his size and strength “brute force” to subdue “granny.” And if so, you and all the other bloggers who have NO CLUE what it’s like to be in that situation would be up in arms because he, “man handled granny.” We can what if this till a Republican get’s back into the White House… Fact of the matter is, Law Enforcement is not paid to fight, but every citizen who likes to “arm chair quaterback” could have.. would have done it in a way where “granny” wouldn’t have gotten “brutalized” and she could have just gone on her merry way. Now because the dash cam tells the story for us now, that is why clear verbal commands are given and you are told the outcome before it happens. The taser is an outstanding attention getter and it keeps you from having a physical altercation where either party can get seriously injured. By the way, ALL law enforcement officers who use the taser have to “ride the lighting” before they can use it on others so that they will know the experience first hand.
Take the 5 second ride sometime, get a little experience before you stand on your soap box.
Admin, You should take a look in the mirror as well, and ponder on why it is you think a verbal command given should not be obeyed. Do you think you are a better judge of when and which command is valid and should be obeyed? How fundamentally ignorant of you. I would venture to guess in your world there is no need for law enforcement because you get to pick and choose who and when it applies to. I am not a heartless SOB but the laws are there for a reason, no one wants to see a “granny”, wife and or mother ever hurt. Life is full of choices, and no one gets to make them for you. “granny” made her choice and that was weak weak weak.
I am with the police on this one.. That old lady should understand that no matter how old she is the police officer has to do his job. And she was the first to provoke.
you have got to be kidding-old frail woman tasered? is this really the only way? what a horrible country we live in to allow this-i guess sweden will see our country as more uncivilized as ever. how shameful this is…how cruel, how completely unecessary, how brutal and what a reflection of the world women live in. We will include her screams in the news along with the men daily killing their wives….
Shes off her rocker! I work with mouthy old ladies sometimes I wish I had a taser
I would of tased her again why she was crying on the ground. The funny thing is she lied first then doesn’t do interviews because she knows she earned it.
Most cops are just like this idiot. Instead of trying to reason with people, they feel they need to start yelling out threats and demands. Obviously he could tell he was just pissing her off her off, why not try to just reason with her, instead of making more threats to her? What a jackass! She should have kicked him in the balls since she was going to get tasered anyway. Now that would have been a funny video to watch.
you would tase her again since people like you like hurting others for no reason. whether its verbal or physical violence some people get off on hurting others and making this world a horrible place for caring humane people.
Not only would I have tasered the old bat, I would had hit her with my billy club. She is CLEARLY combative and acts as if 72 is ok to behave that way. Remember, before there was tasering, cops used billy clubs.
But seriously, bottomline, she was speeding, she was confrontational, she demanded to be arrested then she changed her mind. At what age is ok to be tasered? Seriously, what is the cut off age where we let senior citizens get away with it because they are old? He tried to handcuff her, she refused to be and this IS the next step.
If a LEO cannot handle a 72 year old without a Tazer he has no place on the force. All the people defending this guy don’t seem to notice the man has anger issues. He failed to maintain his composure in the face of an angry old lady and escalated the situation.
He could have easily talked her down instead he chose to yell at her like an abusive parent. I would hate to be one of his kids.
Ask yourself this what is more dangerous for a 72 year old a few scrapes and bruises or several thousand volts of electricity?
If there is no threat by this little old lady why couldn’t he put the cuffs on her?? like they did before tasers were allowed???
I think the police officer could have avoided the whole mess by using other tactics in the first place. I think cuffing her and taking her to jail for a traffic violation would have been excessive too. I think he could have shown her respect, maybe humor her, be nice to her, be sympathetic to her. Gently lead her to the side of the rode. He could have stopped respnding and let her vent by using patience. Its all part of his job. I think old people do deserve respect. I also wonder if its a gender thing-would he have chosen to taser a man of the same age???
Bailout 2008, a poem by David Jeffrey:
Like a bloodied warrior,
laying broken and torn.
Like a dying soldier, hopeless and forlorn.
But the blood, it be green,
the color of money.
And the soldier is an economy,
and it is anything but funny.
Broken are it’s people and shattered are their dreams.
Thanks to the ultra rich and their full proof schemes.
It is a tragedy with more pain to come.
Finance will be Hell, and their wills will be done.
Folks, gotta mention, please don’t send any comments that advocate any violence at all toward the police.
There’ve been some great comments that have had to be rejected due to veiled or explicit threats to cops mentioned in passing. Doesn’t matter if you’re joking or don’t mean it. Not good, not necessary and a block of that comment and future ones from the poster is guaranteed.
Come on folks the guys was huge do you really think that he needed to taser was she paking heat ….no yeh she was lippy but helll… a mosiquito’s fart could of knocked her over …
drudge potato al:
Xolodnyj on June 10, 2009 12:55 pm
“Not only would I have tasered the old bat, I would had hit her with my billy club.”
I guess violence against citizens on this post is okay?
Since when does the age of 72 entitle one to such behavior? We’re not talking half dead, here, folks, this woman is clearly and intentionally disobedient.
Was the taser a bit much? Perhaps. But why should the woman get the kid glove treatment when she is acting like a disobedient child?
She insisted the police lied about several things, but when it was revealed the incident was caught on camera, the woman had nothing more to say.
Fine, send the cop for a refresher course on the taser, but send the old bat to anger management and a course in respect for the law.
Consider this. If she behaves in such an arrogant manner towards the police, imagine how she behaves behind the wheel.
cls,
I hear ya, man. Violence toward our citizenry isn’t endorsed either but blocking comment posts is something that also isn’t taken lightly. Active discussion benefits everyone. Much better for a comment like yours to shine light on someone else’s bad judgment is the best remedy.
Anything that can be construed as violence toward our police (or the appearance of it) is a different ballgame, though.
I wonder what would be the procedure 10 years ago. Since the taser has come to the common place use for the police, it seems that it is used very often. It works just as it is supposed to but seems to have replaced diplomacy in it’s place. Pushing her back was proper and raising the voice to indicate control also proper. Guess this beats twisting her arm and pushing her to the ground to cuff her. She certainly believed her age was justification for her doing what she pleased.
Just now at this moment a story broke about an 89 year old man shot and killed a security guard at the Holocaust museum. This goes to prove that the elderly do not deserve a break. You never know what you are going to face.
This 72 yr old grandmother could have just as well pull a gun on the officer. She was confrontational, resisting arrest and failed to complied 9 times. She got pulled over for speeding and should have done the right thing and signed the ticket. Remember SHE did the wrong thing her. She escalated the situation. If the officer had tried to be physically forceful with her (as some of you are suggesting) and over power her to handcuff her, you all would be screaming about how he was too physical on a woman twice his age and half his size. When someone fail to comply you use the taser. And she was trying to use her age over and over again to get some type of advantage, some type of sympathy. I guess it is working for this board.
Just this week along we had elderly spies get arrested, an elderly man shoots up a museum and this sympathetic, foul mouth elderly woman needs to not have a speeding ticket.
Tasers are considered less than lethal weapons, but they can be lethal. Using one on a 72 year old woman that this officer could easily have physically restrained was excessive. It could have killed her. Killing someone because she sassed you is not appropriate. I think both the officer and the woman need anger management classes. People often get upset when they deal with the police. It is for the police to understand that this can be a stressful experience and handle it with professionalism, not abuse.
This police department’s policy on the use of force standard also needs to be changed. The minimum should be when a subject is actively resisting arrest but not attacking the
officer. When a subject is passively resisting by not responding to the lawful, verbal commands of the officer, a taser is inappropriate.
Every age group has assholes. I have dealt with many. The poster above who said you shouldn’t tase 70 yr old women- why not? Should you only tase 19 yr old black men? Age, race, gender should not be a factor- the situation dictates the tase. Most SOPs now have the taser used before capstun, before any hard control (hands-on) is used either. This is to prevent any injuries to both parties. No one gets permanently or even temporarily injured by being tased. Five minutes after it ceases, it is over. As a veteran of countless hands-on experiences, I can vouch for this. The ONLY mistake the cop made was yelling at her- it was a bit unprofessional but every one has done it. Sometimes, it is needed to get their attention. I always start polite and they dictate what happens. I can ply rough with the best of them. In fact, I am one of only a handful of certified Use of Force Instructors in this state, so if you have any questions- feel free to ask.
Why is this site suddenly feel the need to copbash. Both of these last videos have only been mildly wrong and probably have valid explanations (see my comment on the other video).
…she’s 72 years old! Cuff her!!! That kinda voltage could give her a heart attack. She was mouthy, yes. Physical treat…not so much. Everyone should have to abide by the law but taseing an unarmed pissy old speeder is a bit much.
age is not a factor. how many times does this have to be said.
tasers giving you a heart attack is a myth- there has always been some other factor when the very miniscule number people have died after being tased.
personally, i think the taser was a more humane choice than putting her into a submission hold and then manually placing her wrists into restraints.
and again, I say, nearly ever law enforcement agency in the country wil have tasers listed before hard control (hands-on) on their use of force continuum.
Some good people do not understand that many aging seniors citizens are on medications which can make them a bit “off the mark” in diplomacy and reasoning.
I do think the officer provoked her further with his actions. Yelling at her, could cause disorientation and ignited her defensive posturing and combative actions.
The effects of a jolt of electric shock from a taser on an aged citizen can leave damage and accelerate mental denentia.
The shoving was a real concern to watch, due to one wrong mis-step and she could have been left with broken bones. Is a war of words worth this happening?
Surely a bit more of professional and common kindness could have made a total different outcome in this altercation.
This is a very sad example of lack of training in a position of authority.
~Peace~
Brian – Gets doesn’t require an apostrophe.
Rednecks like you need to learn how to communicate.
(Not that you’ve got anything to say that is worth reading.)
so dcl acknowledges fully in the post that the shoving may have resulted in hurting her but at the same time doesn’t want the officer to use the taser. can’t have it both ways. I have already said that hands-on is when people do get broken bones, torn acls, and other injuries. taser does none of that.
on the same note, I think that the seniors need to acknowledge personal responsibility in their actions. I love the part of the video when she was saying she had done nothing and was perfectly polite and such but after shown that there was dash cam footage of her actions, she clammed up.
Older people are more fragile and can get hurt over the simplest of falls. My father in law fell on the side of the road when he had a problem with his car, broke his hip and is still recovering in the hospital. just a simple trip and fall and he is in rehab. Who would want to take the chance to push or taser an old person. is there no other way??? What if the person is tasered and falls, hits there head and dies. I would assume that there was a dip in the road where she fell-I think the officer is lucky that she didn’t get seriously hurt, not from the taser but the fall alone!
This is nothing, and it is only going to get worse! Police are now a “para-military” extension of the federal gov’t! When was the last time you remember seeing a police car with the phrase “To Serve and Protect” on it?????? The new creed is fear and intimidate, find, arrest, and help convict!!
I am a former retard with a badge and us tards have a rule that anything that a cop does wrong should be ignored because we are stupid and our job takes some sense. Tasing a 72 year old woman is idiocy. Move to China or something you worthless POS.
The real issue is policeman are not paid enough. If they were paid like doctors, which I think they should be, then you would have some decent completion for the job and maybe we could get an officer who could think before tasing the elderly.
Maybe we should start carrying nets and we can throw them on people like on Planet of the Apes? For elderly, we can carry big feathers and tickle them into submission. I cannot believe some of these comments. AGE, GENDER, RACE, ETC ARE NOT A FACTOR IN THE USE OF FORCE CONTINUUM!!!!!!
It is when you deviate from procedure that people do get hurt, officer or civilian.
Those who are arguing Tasering the woman was the safe thing to do because wrestling with her could have hurt her, seem to neglect the fact that hitting the ground hard while being electrocuted carries substantial physical risk. Broken hip anyone?
try hitting the ground with the force of a large officer coming down on top of you also, and don’t forget the manipulation of hands, arms, and nerve endings to force compliance.
I think my feather tickle idea above is the right one apparently.
This is still a free country, whether cops like it or not. An intelligent and controlled (himself) person could have easily subdued this old lady. The officer is a fool, immature, hot-headed and ignorant. The lady is lucky to have not had her face shot off in light of whom she was dealing with.
Learn to spell before you blog. It should be “hot on the HEELS”. Heal means to cure or make well!!!
Thanks for the correction P.
We’re going to take your advice and stop blogging. We have seen the light and and that light is you.
On the off off off chance we do not stop blogging, please feel free to correct any other mistakes you notice.
“When you have some BALLS and can do the job STEP UP! Then you can question why it lead to that outcome.”
That officer wasn’t even a man, neither was his boss. If he had any courage or self control he wouldn’t have even thought of doing that. People that talk like the above are not men either. Wait until you get old, bub, getting old ain’t for sissies.
this cop if you can call him that was clearly a foot taller than the old lady if he can’t subdue her without the taser and is worried about getting hurt then this jerk off as no business being a cop why did he joing the force to begin with easy pay most of the cop today are a bunch of over zeoless no personality useless fat ass pos that no body would hire in the first place thats the only job they can have they can’t think for them self thats ben tested
I cannot believe some of you people. It DOES not matter what age you are when it comes to obeying the law… Most of you know nothing about tasing and maybe you should learn a little. I was tased in a citizens academy class to learn more about police work and what they go through, and no I do not want to be a Police Officer because I am a Administrative Assistant at City Hall. When you are tased it is for 5 seconds and that is all. If he had used force she would have had bruises all over her and he could have hurt her by using force. Tasers were brought into Police Departments for the purpose of being able to use something that would be safer but effective on people who DO NOT obey the law and act like that woman. She has no right to treat a Police Officer the way she did and I certainly would not want her to be the grandmother of my children because she has set a poor example for other people in this Country. Also if you watched the video the Police Officer tried to reach out to keep her from going back to her truck and she still protested so was he suppose to tackle her. Get real all of you because I am so sick of the Police getting a the bad rap for people like this lady who think they can get away with everything. Yea there are some bad Police out there but this officer does not deserve that kind of treatment. I do not understand this country anymore and the way people think. It doesn’t matter how he handled it because it would be wrong to all of you simply because she was 72 years old. Just because there old doesn’t mean they can do whatever they want.
Kizzy- He could have let the old bat go, and then visited her at her house. There are a million ways to handle this without being violent. But given that you are an employee of a municipality, your response is not surprising.
The fact is the 72 year old woman was 100% in the wrong and deserves to have her license pulled.
The fact is the cop did not need to tase her. He chose to. Perhaps if all city workers like yourself and this cop, showed a slightly stronger mix of common sense and compassion, people wouldn’t be so reflexively predisposed to think the worst of you, dreading any potential contact with municipal authority they might encounter, regardless how innocent.
Thanks for reading Founding Bloggers!
He should have let her go and then showed up at her house, that does not make sense at all. As far as being a employee of the municipality has nothing to do with this so make up whatever excuse you want. What I believe in and have even before I worked with the City was that people should obey the law, that is what common sense is and compassion. The cop is suppose to use common sense but the lady doen’t have to use common sense or compassion. You should really think about what your saying and have some common sense about it. Use of force would have been worse with this lady then the taser which only keeps you subdued for 5 seconds. People don’t scream like she did which made it seem ten times worse. She says that she did not do anything wrong and did not argue and cuss at the officer but look who is hiding out in there house now that the video came out. Maybe people should do a little research on being tased and what its all about before they say its violent and not right. I still stand by what I say and the funny thing is so do my friends and family who do not even work for the municipality. We can probably argue about this for a year and still disagree with each other because you have your opinion and I have mine.